Consume, Create, Connect in Retrospect

At the beginning of the term, we were told that the course learning outcomes were the following: consume, create, and connect. 

Consume: Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze literary texts, and to gather, search, filter, sample, bookmark, and research within academic and general sources, selecting materials and media appropriate to the project, the prospective audience, and to their own interests.

•  I feel as if I was able to consume Rainbows End, A Case for Books, and Jane Eyre on a deeper level, through seeing these books in multiple formats and from various perspectives.
• As a class, we were able to read one another's posts, learning more about the educational technological world.
• We learned how to use many different sites like Blogger, Goodreads, Diigo, Twitter, etc. for academic and research purposes.  See my post on how Twitter has changed how I search for information.

Create: Students will create a respectable online presence including an online profile, content outlets, and social networks.  Using these online tools, they will demonstrate competence in creating and following personal learning plans, and in composing texts and media appropriate to their literary studies, to family and professional purposes, and to life-long learning.  This includes active, self-directed learning, documenting learning efforts, creating multimedia compositions, and creating and publishing more formally developed work in public and durable formats.

• We created an eBook in less than a month which followed these guidelines and will help others follow them in the future.
• We created blog posts on almost a daily basis.  This forced each of us to expose our writing constantly.  This was a great, because I know it gave me more confidence as a reader, a writer, and a scholar.
• Through doing the constant creating in this class, each student was able to begin creating a strong online profile.
• I know that through constantly creating, the creator will have more of a chance of creating something that stands out and can make a difference. 

Connect: Students will demonstrate the ability to interact frequently and constructively with others (not just classmates) in their self-directed learning, and to work collaboratively on meaningful subjects and projects.  Student work should connect to their own lives, but must not be isolated.  It should be formatted and rhetorically constructed to connect with the needs and interests of those outside of their immediate social circles.

• I have a better understanding and connection with the wide web of knowledge that is the Internet.
• I know I have developed skills in this class to better prepare me for lifelong learning, and particularly in my case, social online learning.
• I feel as if my fellow classmates and I have connected to so many different people through the experience of this class, including one another.  It has been an unforgettable experience.

ReverbNation

This is one of my favorite new sites.  Musicians are able to get their music out there for other people to listen to, comment on, and attend shows.  Like the tagline on their ReverbNation’s website says, “The best tools for musicians and the best music for everyone else.”

 

I have discovered many artists from my hometown area and from Provo, Utah, where I attend school at Brigham Young University.  The benefit of doing this is finding local shows for these artists that you can attend.  I discovered this site when my friend, Jesse Jones-Blair, an aspiring musician, sent me an invitation to become a fan of his page.  I soon began exploring other artists have even downloaded some of their songs that are available.  I am also planning on attending a free show of two local artists here in Provo next weekend.

THE LOVECAPADES

   

                                                   

CALEB BLOOD

One of my favorite local artists is Nik Day.  He has a style similar to Michael Buble, Jason Mraz, and John Mayer.  Below is a music video of one of his songs called, “How Could Life Get Any Better.”

I really enjoy this site for its possibilities for music exploration and discovery.  If you have any interest in music whatsoever, I recommend this site to you.  There is music for everyone, including the music of one of my favorite pianists, George Winston.

Consuming To Create- The Power of Human Creativity

While talking with my co-worker about what my blog for my English 295 class was for, I used the phrase "consuming to create", which led to him telling me about a certain creator who I will speak more about later in the post.  We went on to talk about what is "creativity".  Everything that human beings create came from somewhere, whether that be the work of someone else, the person's surroundings, or the creator's personal experience.  To quote Albert Einstein, "Creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."

Like the creator Albert Einstein, another creator or two have some words on the subject:

 We all probably know who Pablo Picasso is, but the creator that my co-worker told me about is Banksy.  Banksy is a grafitti artist from England.  His identity is unknown, but his work is seen and known in many places around the world, commenting on social and political issues.

 

The above telephone booth is the work of Banksy in downtown LA. 

This link leads to another London telephone booth work by Banksy and some other results of creativity at work.  

My co-worker and I also discussed what determines the value of the work someone produced.  He commented that a lot depends on where the work came from.  As an example, wise words always seem to be more profound to a reader when he/she knows the quote came from someone famous.  Jay Leno said, "You're not famous until my mother has heard of you."  Blogging is one way to get your ideas out to the world, show your creative voice, while utilizing the information at your fingertips.  You never know, one day someone's mother may have heard of you.